1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to circular saws for cutting kerfs in green concrete and asphalt.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When concrete is poured for a roadway, it is common practice to make spaced, transverse cuts in the surface while the concrete is in its initial curing stage. Such cuts are narrow, cut are of sufficient wideth (e.g., 0.125-in.) and depth (e.g. 2.5-in.) to cause subsequent stresses from traffic to be directed downwardly instead of laterally. This inhibits surface cracking and deterioration, and helps prolong the life of the roadbed.
A typical saw used for the cutting has spaced cutting segments bonded to the periphery of the core. The core has radial slots, and each cutting segment extends between two adjacent slots. Also typically, such saws have hardened inserts bonded to one radial face of each slot. The purpose of the inserts is to minimize wear of the core so as to realize longer use of the cutting setments.
However, prior art saws still have the drawback that the cores are undercut below the bottoms of the slots, and also along the bottoms of the segments. This wear is progressive and results in an undesirably shortened life for the saw. Oftentimes the cutting segments, which typically include diamond particles, are still good enough for thousands of cutting operations. They must be salvaged by removing and bonding them to another core, and this is also an undesirably expensive process.